Avocado may help bust bad cholesterol away, study

Posted:
Thursday, January 15, 2015

Avocado, also called butter-fruit, has a deceptive name because it helps in lowering bad fat found a recent study. It emerged that overweight or obese individuals who ate a moderate fat diet inclusive of avocados everyday had lower bad cholesterol levels than those on a similar diet without an avocado a day or on a lower-fat diet.

The results of the study were published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. The researchers evaluated the effect of avocados on traditional and novel cardiovascular (CVD) risk factors. In order to do so, they replaced the saturated fats present in an average American diet with unsaturated fats from avocados.

They enrolled 45 overweight or obese individuals between the ages of 21 and 70 and asked them to consume an average American diet providing 34% calories from fat, 51% from carbohydrates, and 16% from proteins for 2 weeks. These individuals were then put on 3 different cholesterol-lowering diets, namely a low fat diet without avocado; a moderate-fat diet without avocado; and a moderate-fat diet with one avocado per day. Both the moderate fat diets were designed to provide 34% calories from fat (17% from monounsaturated fatty acids or MUFAs), while the lower fat diet was designed to provide 24% calories from fat (11% from MUFAs).

The researchers found that compared to other diets, the moderate fat diet inclusive of avocado brought about a striking reduction in the levels of Low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol by 13.5mg/dl. Several other blood parameters such as total cholesterol, triglycerides, small dense LDL, and non-HDL (high density lipoprotein) cholesterol were also more favourable in the avocado diet group. The researchers attributed these beneficial effects to bioactive nutrients such as MUFA, fibre, and phytosterols present in avocado.

Notably, the researchers conducted the study with Hass avocados, which typically have a bumpy skin. Talking about the study, the researchers said, “This was a controlled feeding study, but that is not the real-world – so it is a proof-of-concept investigation. We need to focus on getting people to eat a heart-healthy diet that includes avocados and other nutrient-rich food sources of better fats.”

Avocados are highly versatile as they can be included in guacamole, salads, milkshakes and sandwiches. So the next time you are hungry, reach out for these delicious fruits for good health.